1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to data backup and replication techniques and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing event based data replication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computer systems relay upon data backup to ensure that a failure of a component of a computer system does not result in the loss of data. Thus, on a periodic basis, a backup copy of data stored upon a computer system is created and, typically, stored in a remote location, i.e., a tape backup is created and the tapes are stored in a location remote from the computer system. Upon computer system failure, the backup can be restored to a repaired or replacement computer system. The granularity of the backup results in some information being lost upon restoration, i.e., data created or changed after the last backup is lost.
Continuous Data Protection (CDP) is a service whereby every block of data written to this service is time-coded and recorded. New data stored by a CDP service does not overwrite existing data. This capability enables a user to access any version of a data object based upon time.
Providers of such services may provide these services using a standalone CDP appliance that is coupled to a host computer via a network. As such, CDP enables enterprises to increase their ability to provide sustained application and data availability through enhanced data recovery capabilities.
A typical CDP system is based upon a disk storage infrastructure to log the continuous data changes as well as provide a time index view into historic points and time. CDP systems can provide seamless, near-instantaneous recoveries from logical and physical data corruption events. With near-instantaneous recovery, the data can be recovered in seconds or minutes rather than hours that a traditional application and data restoration operation may entail.
Because CDP systems are designed to continuously log data changes as they occur, there is no defined point and time to create a replicated image of the logged data. Such replicated images are important for archival purposes.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus causes a CDP system to create a replicated image of the data that has been logged based upon a particular event.